Dietary choline is a precursor for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh), which is crucial for normal cognitive and motor function. Choline is irreversibly oxidized into betaine in the liver and kidneys. Betaine is a methyl group donor that participates in the important process of remethylating homocysteine to methionine. Choline is also a precursor for the synthesis of phosphatidylcholine, the most abundant form of phospholipid in the body.[1]
Choline is important for neural tube closure, stem cell proliferation, and apoptosis (programmed cell death) in the fetal brain during early pregnancy. The choline metabolite phosphatidylcholine is also required for packaging and exporting very-low-density lipoproteins from the liver and the secretion of bile acid salts; the disruption of this process can contribute to the accumulation of triglycerides in the liver.[2][3][4][5][6]